Cheers, jeers for the week of June 22-28, 2014

Cheers that Fairfield police this week made an arrest in an early December shooting on East Travis Boulevard.

Herman Collins, one of two men shot in the incident, was arrested. There have been plenty of shootings in town over the past several months and it’s good to see the Police Department’s dogged determination to find those responsible.

Jeers, however to the fact that the number of shootings makes it difficult for local residents to keep them straight.

Cheers to Vacaville giving the go-ahead to pay for its portion of the Jepson Parkway, a 12-mile stretch of road connecting Highway 12 at Walters Road in Suisun City to Interstate 80 at Leisure Town Road.

There are many steps in the project, which largely connects existing roads while adding medians, stop lights and new shoulders. Vacaville’s portion, with construction scheduled to start next summer, is $33.5 million and comes through fees and grants.

There are legitimate concerns about traffic issues during construction, but once finished, the parkway should provide a much-needed alternate route for local traffic.

Jeers to the Community Action Partnership of Solano Joint Powers Authority, the target of a scathing grand jury report this week.

According to the grand jury, there is little oversight of the group, which helps low-income and homeless people become self-sufficient. One of the key funds, designed to help cover expenses that come with delays from state and federal grants, has little oversight – leading to discrepancies in the reimbursements and a deficit, according to the grand jury.

It’s a complex matter, with blurred lines of responsibility. But it involves hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars and is worthy of both better oversight and the criticism by the grand jury. We urge those involved to not spend their time dodging blame or pointing fingers, but fix the problem.

Cheers that an improvement in Solano County’s budget means that Lake Solano Park will be kept open a few hours later during the summer.

One of the county’s best recreation areas has closed at 4 p.m. weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends, but now will extend into the evening hours. That’s worth cheering.

Cheers to the Nurse Camp hosted this week by NorthBay Healthcare Nursing Academy.

The four-day camp gives potential nurses a chance to see what it’s like to work in the field and is another great outreach into the community. Well done.